I left work today and you could tell there was a storm coming. The sky was becoming dark and cloudy and the wind was picking up. It was the kind of night that you curl up on the couch and eat some comfort food. I was craving some Kraft Dinner and I was only cooking for one tonight as Dean had a soccer game that I couldn't make it to because of work. I got the pasta cooked and just as I was about the mix in the cheese powder I realised that we didn't have any milk in the fridge. I tried just adding tons and tons of butter, but the cheese powder clumped up into powdery balls. I weighed my options, eat the powdery cheese ball pasta or dump in some vanilla almond milk that I had bought for a smoothie recipe. I went with the almond milk because if that tasted gross it couldn't be any worse than dry cheese balls. The vanilla almond milk added a nutty sweetness to the Kraft Dinner which to some people may sound absolutely disgusting, but I really liked it, though I'm sure I have a few screws loose in my head. I ended up eating the entire box of KD which I don't do very often.
I have found that I actually prefer almond milk over regular milk. I'm not lactose intolerant, but I've heard that almond milk is actually healthier for you so I did some research online and here's what I came up with:
- It's a good substitute for people looking to lose or maintain their weight. Almond milk has about 60 calories in a glass where as cow's milk ranges from 86-146 depending on what kind of milk you buy (ex. 2%, skim etc)
- There's no cholesterol or saturated fats in almond milk. It is also low in sodium, but high in omega fatty acids which are the same fatty acids you get when you eat fish (Fish grosses me out so almond milk is really the way to go for me)
- It offers 30% of the daily recommended dose of calcium (less than cow's milk) and 25% of recommended vitamin D. Make sure you are taking a multivitamin that offers calcium if you are switching or have switched to almond milk to make up for the loss.
- Is low in carbs and is low on the glycemic index so your body won't store the fat, but will actually use the carbs as energy (bonus!)
My goal is to switch over to almond milk for all these benefits. I won't be able to get Dean to switch over though. He is lactose intolerant, but suffers and eats cheese and drinks milk. He doesn't like the taste of almond milk either. He says it tastes like powered milk.
There's also recipes online for how to make your own almond milk. I don't think I'm that committed so I will just stick with buying it from the store, but if anyone has actually made their own I'm curious to know if it tastes better home made or store bought.
Saturday, 31 May 2014
Friday, 30 May 2014
To Die For Portobello Mushroom Pizzas
Tonight I made absolutely amazing portobello mushroom pizzas!! The original idea came from a Pinterest recipe I saw and wow did it ever turn out better than I expected! It's healthier than a normal pizza and is even better as mushrooms are the number one food to eat to keep you healthy and fight off sicknesses.
Another huge plus is, the recipe is so simple and takes no time to throw together. You take portobello mushroom caps, cut off the stems, scrape out the gills and throw them onto a baking sheet. You can top your "pizzas" however you like. I did marinara sauce which I added extra garlic to (garlic is another sickness fighting super food so Dean and I won't be getting sick anytime soon), prosciutto, spinach, marble cheese and Parmesan cheese (I'm a huge cheese fan). You put the "pizzas" into your oven preheated to 400F for 15 minutes. Simple, done, easy, quick.
In the 15 minutes that the pizzas took to bake, I made a spinach salad with raspberries and mandarin oranges topped with a raspberry vingariette. For the vinagariette you take half a cup of fresh or frozen raspberries (I used fresh), 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil and 2 tablespoons of wine vingar (I used one that included raspberry juice) and blend it all together for about 1 minute or until smooth. I found that it was a bit sour so I added about a tablespoon of honey to help add a bit of sweetness without dumping in sugar.
The dinner turned out better than I would have thought and I'll definitely be making the pizzas again many times over. Dean and I used to eat out a lot and by a lot I mean 5-6 days a week. Now that we have our aparment though, we cook way more and eat a lot healthier. We are still known to devour a bag a chips or cookies though.
Another huge plus is, the recipe is so simple and takes no time to throw together. You take portobello mushroom caps, cut off the stems, scrape out the gills and throw them onto a baking sheet. You can top your "pizzas" however you like. I did marinara sauce which I added extra garlic to (garlic is another sickness fighting super food so Dean and I won't be getting sick anytime soon), prosciutto, spinach, marble cheese and Parmesan cheese (I'm a huge cheese fan). You put the "pizzas" into your oven preheated to 400F for 15 minutes. Simple, done, easy, quick.
Thursday, 29 May 2014
Fashion: Cold & Rainy day
Edmonton has the most bi-polar weather I have ever seen. Apparently it's because of the proximity of the mountains. One minute it's hot, the next it's cold and rainy. The past couple of days have been on the chillier side with lots of rain. It is absolutely essential to own either an umbrella or a rain jacket and some rubber boots.
I've always wanted a pair of red rubber boots and I found a pair, but they were $300!! I'm not that committed to rubber boots to spend $300 on them! I love footwear! I manage the shoe department at the boutique I work at so I know what $300 shoes look like so seriously a pair of rubber boots are $300?! I even looked at Wal-mart and found nothing.
So yesterday, it was about 10C which a few weeks ago was super nice, but since it's been above 20C for awhile now 10C feels chilly. I wore jeans, a cute sweatshirt and $200 suede boots which were not the smartest footwear to be wearing. By the time my shift was over it was pouring rain outside! I smartly brought my rain jacket, but my boots would be ruined in the rain so I gave in and bought a pair of Palladium waterproof boots. They are super cute high top, lace up purple boots. They aren't rubber, but are made out of a textile that is laminated with waterproof membranes so its not only waterproof, but also breathable! The bottoms are also a super light weight rubber so the whole boot is so light. I actually prefer them over rubber boots now. The reason is because rubber boots are so clunky, but these high top are cute and fashionable and easy to wear with outfits so I can wear them to work and look cute and put together. It doesn't get any better than that!
I've always wanted a pair of red rubber boots and I found a pair, but they were $300!! I'm not that committed to rubber boots to spend $300 on them! I love footwear! I manage the shoe department at the boutique I work at so I know what $300 shoes look like so seriously a pair of rubber boots are $300?! I even looked at Wal-mart and found nothing.
So yesterday, it was about 10C which a few weeks ago was super nice, but since it's been above 20C for awhile now 10C feels chilly. I wore jeans, a cute sweatshirt and $200 suede boots which were not the smartest footwear to be wearing. By the time my shift was over it was pouring rain outside! I smartly brought my rain jacket, but my boots would be ruined in the rain so I gave in and bought a pair of Palladium waterproof boots. They are super cute high top, lace up purple boots. They aren't rubber, but are made out of a textile that is laminated with waterproof membranes so its not only waterproof, but also breathable! The bottoms are also a super light weight rubber so the whole boot is so light. I actually prefer them over rubber boots now. The reason is because rubber boots are so clunky, but these high top are cute and fashionable and easy to wear with outfits so I can wear them to work and look cute and put together. It doesn't get any better than that!
Tuesday, 27 May 2014
Cooking - Bruschetta and Caesar Dressing
Last night, I decided to cook because now that I have my own place it's something I do more than twice a year. It also gave me an excuse to wear my cute new apron.
First up is a bruchetta recipe from Delish.com that claims to be a similar recipe to the one made in the movie Julie & Julia (great movie by the way for those who haven't seen it) .
1 loaf(s) (8 ounces) Italian bread
1 clove(s) (large) garlic, cut in half
1 1/4 pound(s) (8 medium) ripe plum tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 tablespoon(s) fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
1/8 teaspoon(s) ground black pepper
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Meanwhile, slice bread diagonally into scant 1/2-inch-thick slices; reserve ends for making bread crumbs another day. Place bread slices on 2 cookie sheets.
-Toast bread on 2 oven racks 15 minutes or until crusty and dry, turning slices over once and rotating cookie sheets between upper and lower racks halfway through baking. Transfer bread to wire racks to cool slightly. When bread is cool enough to handle, rub 1 side of each toast slice with cut side of garlic. Discard garlic.
-Meanwhile, in small bowl, gently toss tomatoes, basil, oil, salt, and pepper until combined.
-To serve, spoon 1 heaping tablespoon tomato mixture on garlic-rubbed side of each toast slice
Very simple and straight to the point recipe which is nice after working all day. I started with cutting up the bread and placing them on cookie sheets, but instead of following the recipe's directions and turning the oven to 350F, I decided that I would be a smarty pants and I would turn the oven to broil to toast the bread faster. For those who have never used the broil function on their oven before it heats the oven to the highest temperature so you REALLY need to keep your eye on what you have in there. First batch of bread came out prefect, no problem. Second batch went in and I began working on the tomatoes I got a little preoccupied and well the second batch wasn't as perfect. Oops.
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Ingredients:
6 cloves garlic, mashed and minced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Vinegar
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Lemon juice
minced anchovy fillet (optional)
Directions
Combine garlic, mustard, vinegar and two pinches of salt in a blender and mix thoroughly. Add mayonnaise and blend together to form a thick base. In a slow stream add olive oil through hole in lid. Scrape dressing with spatula into a bowl and season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice. If desired, add anchovy to dressing to create a deeper, saltier taste.
After the broiler situation you'd think I'd 100% follow the directions for the dressing, but nope I've got to live on the edge and make up my own directions obviously. I threw the first ingredients into the blender and decided to ignore that I was supposed to mince the garlic cloves before adding them into the blender. My thought process was that it's going into the blender so it'll blend them up...nope. I ended up having to dig out the garlic cloves that were covered in the mustard and vinegar paste type substance and mincing them up like it was suggested in the first place. Everything after that went smoothly. I left out the anchovy's because i'm not a fish fan and I wasn't going to cut up fishes and the thought of them kind of grosses me out. The dressing came out yummy and wow super garlicky. Luckily both Dean and I love garlic, but this is definitely not a first date kind of dressing and it'll keep all the Cullens away for sure.
It took about 30-45 mins to prep and make everything which for me is a good length of time. The food turned out great. I had never actually had bruschetta before today and I can now say that I'm a huge fan. And by the way...3 hours later I still have garlic breath! Next time I'll try and make my own croutons instead of using store bought and I promise to completely follow the directions for that.
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First up is a bruchetta recipe from Delish.com that claims to be a similar recipe to the one made in the movie Julie & Julia (great movie by the way for those who haven't seen it) .
1 clove(s) (large) garlic, cut in half
1 1/4 pound(s) (8 medium) ripe plum tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 tablespoon(s) fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
1/8 teaspoon(s) ground black pepper
-Meanwhile, in small bowl, gently toss tomatoes, basil, oil, salt, and pepper until combined.
-To serve, spoon 1 heaping tablespoon tomato mixture on garlic-rubbed side of each toast slice
Next step after toasting and burning the bread was to seed the tomatoes. I had never seeded a tomato in my life before yesterday. I probably could have Youtube the correct way to do this, but I kind of just made up my own technique and in the end it worked out. All that was left was measuring out the spices and mixing it all together.
To go with the bruschetta I decided Caesar salad would be yummy and that I'd make my own dressing. This recipe came from thefoodnetwork.com and is rated as an easy recipe. Since we've just moved in together we don't have all the fancy cooking supplies. I used a full scale blender when I should have used a smaller food processor.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Vinegar
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Lemon juice
minced anchovy fillet (optional)
Directions
Combine garlic, mustard, vinegar and two pinches of salt in a blender and mix thoroughly. Add mayonnaise and blend together to form a thick base. In a slow stream add olive oil through hole in lid. Scrape dressing with spatula into a bowl and season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice. If desired, add anchovy to dressing to create a deeper, saltier taste.
After the broiler situation you'd think I'd 100% follow the directions for the dressing, but nope I've got to live on the edge and make up my own directions obviously. I threw the first ingredients into the blender and decided to ignore that I was supposed to mince the garlic cloves before adding them into the blender. My thought process was that it's going into the blender so it'll blend them up...nope. I ended up having to dig out the garlic cloves that were covered in the mustard and vinegar paste type substance and mincing them up like it was suggested in the first place. Everything after that went smoothly. I left out the anchovy's because i'm not a fish fan and I wasn't going to cut up fishes and the thought of them kind of grosses me out. The dressing came out yummy and wow super garlicky. Luckily both Dean and I love garlic, but this is definitely not a first date kind of dressing and it'll keep all the Cullens away for sure.
It took about 30-45 mins to prep and make everything which for me is a good length of time. The food turned out great. I had never actually had bruschetta before today and I can now say that I'm a huge fan. And by the way...3 hours later I still have garlic breath! Next time I'll try and make my own croutons instead of using store bought and I promise to completely follow the directions for that.
Sunday, 25 May 2014
All things Pinterest
In this day and age there are tons of social media websites and appps that keep us entertained for hours and hours on end. Some of us are a little more addicted than others. My addiction is Pinterest. As of today I have 47 boards and 2003 pins and have spent hours pinning my heart out.
Pinterest is the wonderful world of ideas and things that you want to do and try, but in actuality you probably won't do half the things you pin. I've found many hairstyles, fashion ideas, wedding ideas, engagement rings to drool over and home decor ideas.
Now that I also have my own place I've been looking more closely at the recipes I've pinned. I attempted one recipe last week. It looked simple, it should have been easy and worked, but oh my no. It was a pizza dough recipe. 1 cup of self rising flour and 1 cup of Greek yogurt. How much more simple can it get?? I bought the ingredients and went to work mixing my "dough". It was such a sticky mess. I pretty much made dough glue. I added more flour to help make it less sticky and it failed to work. I ended up googling pizza dough recipes and using one from All Recipes.com instead. In the end my pizza turned out super yummy and I've learnt that just because it's on Pinterest doesn't mean it's going to work out.
Dean and I did find a really cool home decor idea on Pinterest that we're looking into doing. You pick a focus wall and fill it with clocks of all shapes and sizes and looks. Our idea is to find ones with city names written on them (ex. London, Paris, Edinburgh) and set the times to coordinate with the city on the clock.
:)
Pinterest is the wonderful world of ideas and things that you want to do and try, but in actuality you probably won't do half the things you pin. I've found many hairstyles, fashion ideas, wedding ideas, engagement rings to drool over and home decor ideas.
Now that I also have my own place I've been looking more closely at the recipes I've pinned. I attempted one recipe last week. It looked simple, it should have been easy and worked, but oh my no. It was a pizza dough recipe. 1 cup of self rising flour and 1 cup of Greek yogurt. How much more simple can it get?? I bought the ingredients and went to work mixing my "dough". It was such a sticky mess. I pretty much made dough glue. I added more flour to help make it less sticky and it failed to work. I ended up googling pizza dough recipes and using one from All Recipes.com instead. In the end my pizza turned out super yummy and I've learnt that just because it's on Pinterest doesn't mean it's going to work out.
Dean and I did find a really cool home decor idea on Pinterest that we're looking into doing. You pick a focus wall and fill it with clocks of all shapes and sizes and looks. Our idea is to find ones with city names written on them (ex. London, Paris, Edinburgh) and set the times to coordinate with the city on the clock.
:)
Shopping, shopping,West Edmonton Mall
When I first moved to Edmonton I was told that Edmontonians don't shop at West Edmonton Mall, it's too big and full of tourists. Well I love West Ed. Yes it's busy, but it's convenient, everything you could possibly need and more is there.
I had a very successful West Ed shopping trip on Friday. I got a arm band for my phone while I go for a run. Now that it's hot out I don't wear a sweater and running pants rarely come with pockets deep enough to fit a huge Iphone 5S so a arm band was essential(as a good I can pretty much find a "essential" excuse to buy anything). Along with the Olaf we purchased from my last post I also got an awesome Maleficent tank top from the Disney store and was intrigued by a Alice in Wonderland coffee cup (I kind of have a cute coffee cup obsession).
Speaking of coffee cup obsessions, I did find an adorable coffee cup with Scotties on it from Winners! Once I have a house of my own and white picket fence I would love to have a Scottie. My Scottish boyfriend has no problem walking a cutie Scottie down the street but, if it was any other small dog he wouldn't want it because he needs a "manly dog not a rat"
Anyways back to my successful shopping trip, I got the cutest apron from Anthropologie. It's cute and housewifey looking and there's noting wrong with wanting to look cute while you're cooking...plus I'm a huge slob while I cook so it'll save my clothing so it was totally an "essential" purchase as well.
:)
I had a very successful West Ed shopping trip on Friday. I got a arm band for my phone while I go for a run. Now that it's hot out I don't wear a sweater and running pants rarely come with pockets deep enough to fit a huge Iphone 5S so a arm band was essential(as a good I can pretty much find a "essential" excuse to buy anything). Along with the Olaf we purchased from my last post I also got an awesome Maleficent tank top from the Disney store and was intrigued by a Alice in Wonderland coffee cup (I kind of have a cute coffee cup obsession).
Speaking of coffee cup obsessions, I did find an adorable coffee cup with Scotties on it from Winners! Once I have a house of my own and white picket fence I would love to have a Scottie. My Scottish boyfriend has no problem walking a cutie Scottie down the street but, if it was any other small dog he wouldn't want it because he needs a "manly dog not a rat"
Anyways back to my successful shopping trip, I got the cutest apron from Anthropologie. It's cute and housewifey looking and there's noting wrong with wanting to look cute while you're cooking...plus I'm a huge slob while I cook so it'll save my clothing so it was totally an "essential" purchase as well.
:)
Friday, 23 May 2014
Frozen...BEST MOVIE EVER!!
The new latest movie craze whether you're young or old is...FROZEN!!!! For those of you who haven't seen it, what on earth are you doing??? You need to watch this movie. It's funny and cute and quotable and singable! It is my new all time favourite movie and I've seen it close to 20 times and can pretty much quote the movie word for word. I'll sit in front of the t.v and just sing along to it like a 4 year old...I'm still trying to get Dean to duet "Love is an Open Door" with me.
I bring up Frozen because since the movie came out and became just a sensation with everyone, merchandise has been IMPOSSIBLE to find. Trust me I've been looking forever, it was a nation wide shortage. Today we walked into the Disney store and what did we come across...a singing and talking OLAF "My name's Olaf and I like warm hugs". Dean and I squealed like little girls and became way too excited for how old we actually are.
So for those of you who live in Edmonton our Disney stores have whats called Frozen Saturdays. On saturday they get shipments of Frozen mercahnize and have auctions on certain hard to find items like Elsa's dress. Be there right at opening to have a better chance of buying something.
:)
I bring up Frozen because since the movie came out and became just a sensation with everyone, merchandise has been IMPOSSIBLE to find. Trust me I've been looking forever, it was a nation wide shortage. Today we walked into the Disney store and what did we come across...a singing and talking OLAF "My name's Olaf and I like warm hugs". Dean and I squealed like little girls and became way too excited for how old we actually are.
So for those of you who live in Edmonton our Disney stores have whats called Frozen Saturdays. On saturday they get shipments of Frozen mercahnize and have auctions on certain hard to find items like Elsa's dress. Be there right at opening to have a better chance of buying something.
Welcome to my world
Hello to all,
My name is Kyla (hence the blog title). I'm 24 living in Edmonton, but from Winnipeg. This summer will be my 3 year anniversary of moving to here. I like Edmonton, but hate it in the same sense. The weather here is just too much for me. If it's going to be summer then be hot, stop PMSing Mother Nature and pick a damn temperature!!
About me and my life,
I work in the fashion industry at a boutique on Whyte ave. I manage our ever growing shoe department, which also includes ordering shoes for the store...how much better can that get? I've also recently been given the job of managing our online store which is fun because you connect with people from all over Canada.
As for my style, it's everywhere. I love pink, ruffles, bows and everything girly, but not little girly. I already look young, I don't need my clothes to make me look younger. In the summer I mostly wear dresses because how much easier can life get than throwing on one piece of clothing and being dressed and looking good. I love colour and will wear 6 different colours on one day that somehow all come together.
I have recently moved in with my boyfriend and by recent I mean 22 days ago. You never really, truly know someone until you move in with them. For example, I knew he was a nerd, but wow I didn't realize how serious it was. He is a true Lord of the Rings (LOTR) and Hobbit fan. How true you may ask, well there's an entire bookshelf dedicated to his dvd's, blurays, bookends, figurines and collectables from the movies. Plus another bookshelf for all the books! Not to mention the very sharp and real Sting hanging on our wall. He may be a nerd, but he's my nerd. He's made me do and try new things in the 10+ months we've been together that I would have never done. He took me camping with friends which resulted in me coming home with a split lip because my bestie Melissa kicked me in the face...by accident she claims. He's also made me go on crazy, ridiculously scary rides at K-days which I would have never done on my own. He introuduced me to the world of the Barclay's Premier Leauge. For those who don't know what that is, it's English Football aka soccer. I have a new love for Manchester United and the world of soccer, who knew that would of ever happened. We are also counting down to the World Cup in Brazil this year....Go England Go.
So thank you for stopping by and reading all the craziness that comes out of my mouth, I hope you've enjoyed it and gave you a bit of a giggle.
:)
My name is Kyla (hence the blog title). I'm 24 living in Edmonton, but from Winnipeg. This summer will be my 3 year anniversary of moving to here. I like Edmonton, but hate it in the same sense. The weather here is just too much for me. If it's going to be summer then be hot, stop PMSing Mother Nature and pick a damn temperature!!
About me and my life,
I work in the fashion industry at a boutique on Whyte ave. I manage our ever growing shoe department, which also includes ordering shoes for the store...how much better can that get? I've also recently been given the job of managing our online store which is fun because you connect with people from all over Canada.
As for my style, it's everywhere. I love pink, ruffles, bows and everything girly, but not little girly. I already look young, I don't need my clothes to make me look younger. In the summer I mostly wear dresses because how much easier can life get than throwing on one piece of clothing and being dressed and looking good. I love colour and will wear 6 different colours on one day that somehow all come together.
I have recently moved in with my boyfriend and by recent I mean 22 days ago. You never really, truly know someone until you move in with them. For example, I knew he was a nerd, but wow I didn't realize how serious it was. He is a true Lord of the Rings (LOTR) and Hobbit fan. How true you may ask, well there's an entire bookshelf dedicated to his dvd's, blurays, bookends, figurines and collectables from the movies. Plus another bookshelf for all the books! Not to mention the very sharp and real Sting hanging on our wall. He may be a nerd, but he's my nerd. He's made me do and try new things in the 10+ months we've been together that I would have never done. He took me camping with friends which resulted in me coming home with a split lip because my bestie Melissa kicked me in the face...by accident she claims. He's also made me go on crazy, ridiculously scary rides at K-days which I would have never done on my own. He introuduced me to the world of the Barclay's Premier Leauge. For those who don't know what that is, it's English Football aka soccer. I have a new love for Manchester United and the world of soccer, who knew that would of ever happened. We are also counting down to the World Cup in Brazil this year....Go England Go.
So thank you for stopping by and reading all the craziness that comes out of my mouth, I hope you've enjoyed it and gave you a bit of a giggle.
:)
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